The Bunny Patrol
by Christine Leigh
Summary: Mulder and William playing together - Easter. Set three years in the future. Companion piece to "Snowmen."


DISCLAIMER: All characters are the products of Chris  
Carter. They also belong to Ten-Thirteen Productions and the  
Fox Network. No copyright infringement intended.  
  
TITLE: The Bunny Patrol  
AUTHOR: Christine Leigh   
E-MAIL: leighchristine@hotmail.com   
RATING: G   
CATEGORY: V   
SPOILERS: None.   
SUMMARY: Mulder and William playing together - Easter.   
Set three years in the future. Companion piece to "Snowmen."  
  
The Bunny Patrol  
By Christine Leigh  
  
Easter morning  
6:30 a.m.  
  
"Shssh."  
  
"Shsssh."  
  
"Shssssh."  
  
"Shsh."  
  
Then there is giggling. They've yet to accomplish a mission  
without lots of giggling. It is soft laughter, though, as their  
subject is still fast asleep. Scully is dreaming while the  
keepers of her heart are playing.   
  
They are soldiers. Or as Mulder explained to Will, after upon  
seeing his mom's Easter basket being manhandled by his dad  
and being concerned that his mom wouldn't like that at all,  
"We're the bunny patrol buddy; we're special. Peter Cottontail  
knows all about us, and he told me we could move the  
basket." By the time Mulder had finished, Will's focus had  
shifted to his own basket, so all was right with the world  
again. And besides, his dad always had a story. And better  
yet, now they would be in what his dad called 'cahoots.' That  
was the best.   
  
Mulder stepped back and studied their handiwork which had  
just been taped to the refrigerator door. The note read:  
  
'Where is Mommy's Easter basket? Did the Easter Bunny  
forget her? Or is it in the linen closet?'   
  
There is art work, also. Will's eggs look almost identifiable.   
They are purple and orange - so far the two crayons that are  
the most popular in the little boy's palette.  
  
"I don't know, Will, I think we need to move it up. Mommy's  
short, but she's no munchkin. We want her to see it."  
  
This remark makes Will laugh. He loves the munchkins, and  
oddly enough, the winged monkeys. Mulder is amazed when  
they have watched "The Wizard of Oz," to see this. Those  
monkeys gave him nightmares when he was a kid. Mulder  
peels the tape away and moves the note so that it will be eye-  
level for Scully.  
  
"Okay, on to the linen closet. Two more stops left. Step  
quietly." They head for the hallway off the living room. Will  
is a chocolately little soldier now, having finally gotten the foil  
off a rabbit.  
  
"Daddy, will Mommy wake up soon? Maybe you need to kiss  
her." Now Mulder grins. Will is always surprised that Scully  
can sleep while he is up and raring to go on weekend  
mornings. He remembers the first time Will had asked this  
question.  
  
*****  
  
"Daddy, Mommy's still sleep. I want Mommy to play with  
us."  
  
"Will, that's a-sleep. Mommy's still asleep."  
  
"A-sleep. I want Mommy to play." Mulder picked him up  
and they sat down on the couch, side by side.   
  
"Will, Mommy is special. She's like a princess, so she gets to  
sleep as long as she wants." Will thought about this for a  
moment and ran the gallery of princesses he knew through his  
head, and landed on Sleeping Beauty.   
  
"Daddy, you need to kiss her. Then she will wake up."   
Mulder was disintegrating here, but he kept going. "Will,  
come here." Will climbed onto Mulder's lap and into his dad's  
wonderful hug. "You're an amazing boy, Will. Maybe we'll  
both give her a kiss if she doesn't show in an hour. Deal?"  
  
"Deal."   
  
*****  
  
"Maybe we'll try the kiss in a bit. Here we are." Mulder had  
note number two ready to go. The art work on this one is a  
succession of purple stars. Will has a particular fondness for  
stars and chooses them above any other shape to draw more  
often than not. Mulder opens the door to the linen closet and  
tapes the note to the middle shelf. It reads:  
  
'Ooops. Not here. Could the basket be under the aquarium?   
Have the fish eaten all the candy by now?' Mulder reads this  
aloud.  
  
"Daddy, the fish don't eat chocolate."  
  
"Is that so? Did they tell you that? Have you been talking  
with them again?" Another favorite video for father-son  
movie night at the Mulders is "The Incredible Mr. Limpet"  
and ever since watching it for the first time Will had become  
the confidante of the inhabitants of the aquarium.   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Well, then I guess Mommy's basket is safe." Will nodded  
solemnly, or at least as solemnly as the cutest little chocolate  
covered four-year old boy in the world could. Mulder was  
melting on the inside. This was an existence so removed from  
what he had known for most of his life. At times it seemed  
surreal. But he knew better. He swiped a finger across Will's  
cheek and licked it. "Mmm. That's tasty. Let's go visit the  
fish." They headed for the family room.  
  
And there it was. Not under the aquarium, but on top of it. It  
wasn't nearly as big as her son's, but Scully's Easter basket had  
been lovingly assembled by her most beloved bunny. He'd  
chosen all her favorites, and he knew from long experience  
that the bordeaux eggs would be the first to go. There was one  
more thing, though, and Mulder turned and bent down to  
consult his artist-in-residence.  
  
"Will, we need to make Mommy a card for her basket. Are  
you up for it?" Mulder held out a piece of folded paper to the  
boy. Will nodded, always happy to draw. He took the paper  
from Mulder and the two of them walked to the couch and sat  
down. Will's crayons had been conveniently placed on the  
coffee table. He started with his favorite, the purple one, and  
made more stars. Can't have enough stars. Then he switched  
to orange and drew more eggs. Later he would get to hunt for  
real ones. He couldn't wait. He stopped and Mulder looked at  
it. Not for the first time did he marvel at the boy's fascination  
with stars. Now it was time for his contribution. He chose a  
green crayon.   
  
"Will, this is beautiful. Do you mind if I add something? I  
won't spoil it, I promise."   
  
"Okay. Can you draw stars, Daddy?"  
  
"I can, but I think you have that covered, buddy. Your stars  
are the best I've ever seen. I think I'll write Mommy a  
message from us." He opened it to the inside of the card and  
very carefully printed:  
  
'Happy Easter Scully. We love you.'   
  
Then he signed it:   
  
'Forever yours, The Bunny Patrol.'  
  
Mulder then handed it back to Will who nodded in approval  
and smiled. And left it with a chocolate thumbprint.  
  
"Mommy needs to wake up, Daddy." Mulder placed the card  
in the basket and returned to the couch.   
  
"Let's give her little more time, Will. Tell you what, I'll make  
coffee and if she's not up by then, we'll try the kiss routine."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"But we need to be quiet."  
  
"Shssh."  
  
"Shsssh."  
  
"Shssssh."  
  
"Shsh."  
- end -  
  
leighchristine@hotmail.com 


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